Dear Eco,

On Sunday 20 November it is UN Children's Day, set up to honour the rights of children everywhere. To celebrate it, and as part of our #5for5 campaign, Theirworld wants to raise awareness of the importance of the first five years of a child's life. There's a really simple way to do it, but we'll need your support. Can you help?

90% of a child's brain has developed by the time they're five. Which means poorer or marginalised children who can't access the support and care they need, are put at a disadvantage. These children can end up starting school with a limited vocabulary and reduced ability to learn, impacting their opportunities in later life.

But there's a solution - world leaders need to invest more to ensure all children are given the nutrition, care and learning needed for the best start in life. If we can join together on Universal Children's Day and shine a spotlight on the issue, it will increase pressure on world leaders to act.

It's really simple to get involved - just follow the instructions on our site or below.

 1. Find a picture of yourself from when you were born, up until the age of five.

  2. Share the photo on social media – Instagram, Facebook or Twitter - on Thursday 17 November, before Universal Children's Day

  3. Include a sentence about why the first five years are so important and make sure you include #5for5 and the petition link: theirworld.org/5for5

What you eat, how much you play, what you learn before the age of five all helps define the adult you'll become. So it's super important for every child around the globe to have access to early childhood development programmes.

Join us and help stand up for kids who haven't mastered standing:  we all remember what being little was like, right?

Thanks for your support,

Ben, Belinda, Jess and the Theirworld team.